Saunier Duval Thema F23E

[imroberts]

I have the above boiler. I know it has a shocking reputation but it's what my flat came with when I bought it. It was installed in 2000 so is about 9 years old.

Last winter I noticed a whining noise when the heating was first turned on. It sounds just like my car alternator sounded like before it broke, and turned out to be a bearing. The noise starts around 30 seconds after the heating comes on from cold and continues for 2-3 minutes I would say after which it goes higher pitched and quieter and then stops. Since turning my heating back on last week the noise has started again and seems worse from what I remember than it was last year.

There is no noise at all when the hot water is running therefore I assume it's the CH pump at fault, and is probably going to fail imminently. Would appreciate any advice if you think I'm wrong however

If this fails, am I looking at a costly repair bill? Is it likely to cause other problems with the boiler? Are there any problems obtaining parts for this boiler?

 

[kevplumb]

fan is more likley

 

[imroberts]

fan is more likley

I'm guessing the fan also only runs for the CH and not the HW?

If it is the fan, is it likely to cause any other components to fail if it goes, and what kind of bill would I be looking at?

 

[kevplumb]

barring a few components everything runs on both

 

[Agile]

Because this is a permanent pilot light boiler the fan runs ( slow ) all the time.

This causes the fan to get very dirty.

Like all similar boilers it should have a proper service every year including taking out the fan and washing the impeller!

Tony

 

[imroberts]

Because this is a permanent pilot light boiler the fan runs ( slow ) all the time.

This causes the fan to get very dirty.

Like all similar boilers it should have a proper service every year including taking out the fan and washing the impeller!

Tony

Do you reckon it's likely just to be a dirty impeller on the fan that is causing this whining?

Howcome it would only whine when the heating first comes on and not with the hot water? And howcome it seems to stop after a few minutes?

 

[mickyg]

your all wrong I'm afraid
Your noise is caused by a spinning washer in the reversing valve. Its possible to repair this, but means taking the front of the reversing valve, which should only be done by someone with big balls The washer is connected to the paddle which blocks off the heating port. A little bit of grease applied to the washer will stop it spinning. If you do attempt this repair yourself, all i can say is good luck! The RVs have a habit of leaking as they get a hairline crack down the front, making people believe the pressure guage is leaking. Working on the valve could encourage this crack to appear.

 

[imroberts]

your all wrong I'm afraid
Your noise is caused by a spinning washer in the reversing valve. Its possible to repair this, but means taking the front of the reversing valve, which should only be done by someone with big balls The washer is connected to the paddle which blocks off the heating port. A little bit of grease applied to the washer will stop it spinning. If you do attempt this repair yourself, all i can say is good luck! The RVs have a habit of leaking as they get a hairline crack down the front, making people believe the pressure guage is leaking. Working on the valve could encourage this crack to appear.

If it is this spinning washer, is it worth getting this repaired given the only downside is a few minutes of whining when it first comes on? Is it likely to get worse or cause further damage?